From Victor Osula, Abuja
The Supreme Court on Thursday delivered a decisive judgment nullifying the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16, 2025, effectively sacking the factional National Working Committee led by former Minister of Special Duties, Taminu Turaki, SAN.
In a unanimous decision by a five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Lawal, the apex court upheld the judgments of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, both of which had earlier nullified the November 15–16, 2025 convention that produced the Turaki-led executive.
The judgment is widely being interpreted as a major political victory for former Rivers State Governor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, whose camp opposed the Ibadan convention, and a crushing setback for the Turaki-led leadership NWC faction loyal to Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde
Delivering the lead judgment, the Supreme Court held that the convention was conducted in clear disobedience to valid court orders restraining the PDP from proceeding with the exercise pending the resolution of disputes arising from state congresses and internal party processes.
The apex court ruled that no political party or group possesses the authority to disregard judicial pronouncements under the guise of internal party affairs.
According to the court, the convention failed to comply with mandatory constitutional procedures and due process requirements governing the conduct of national conventions and the emergence of party leadership.
“The convention conducted in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, 2025, having been held contrary to subsisting orders of court and in breach of the party’s constitution, is hereby declared null, void, and of no effect whatsoever,” the court ruled.
The judgment automatically invalidates all decisions, appointments, and leadership claims arising from the convention, including the emergence of the Turaki-led executive.
The legal battle arose after the Ibadan convention produced a national executive led by former Minister of Special Duties, Taminu Turaki, SAN.
Opponents loyal to Wike challenged the exercise, alleging that it violated subsisting court orders, failed to comply with party guidelines, and was conducted without valid state congresses.
Following the lower court judgments against the convention, the Wike-backed bloc organised a parallel convention in Abuja and secured interim judicial orders granting it access to the PDP national secretariat.
